Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-05-07

apt to run past the point that they are maxi
ing, either from carelesaness or owing TO a
mistake In It's Identity Now, as sailors will
know. IL Is quito impossible for a dhow which
is only rigged to run before the monsoon 10
beat back against It, Therefore we got our
boat ready to row for the rock at any mo-
ment
swell, job" said, "perhaiA it would DO
as well. There are lots OF blankets there,
only be careful TO keep out OF the moon, or
it may turn your head or blind you"
"Lord, sirl don't think 1t would much
matter II it did; 1t Is that turned already
with the sight Of these blackamoors and their
filthy, thieying ways. They are only flt for
j. muck, they arc; and they smell bad enough
flor 1t already.p
Job, 1t viii be perceived, was not attached
to the manners and customs of our dark
skinned brothers
Accordingly we hauled up tho boat by tho
tow rope till it was right under tho stern OF
the dhow, and Job bundled into her about as
eSAacefully as a sack of potatoes. Then we
returned and sat down on the deck again,
and smoked and talked in little gusts and
jerks. The night was SO lovely, and our
brains were so full of suppressed excitement
OF one sort and another, that we did not feel
inclined to turn in. For nearly an hour we
sat thus, and then, think, we both dozed off
At least have faint recollection of Leo
seepily explaining that the head was not a
bad place to hit buffalo, II you could catch
him exactly between the horns, or sent your
bullet down his throat, or some nonsense Of
the sort
Then I remember no more, till sudden1y--a
frightful roar of wind, shrek of terror
from the awakening crew and a whip-like
sting of water in our faces. Some of the men
ran to let go the halyards and lower the sail,
but the parrel jammed and the yard would
not come down. l sprung to my feet and
hung on to a rope. The sky aft WINS dark as
pitch, but the moon still shone brightly ahead
of US and lit up the blacl1ness. Beneath its
So huge, white topped breaker twenty
febNligh or moro, was rushing on to us. II
was on the break-the moon shone on its
crest and tipped its foam with light. On it
rushed beneath the inky sky, driven by the
awful squat behind it. Suddenly, in the
twinkling of an eye, saw tho black shape of
I the whaleboat cast high into the air on the
breaking wave. Then--a shock water, u
wild rush of boiling foam and was clinging
for my life to the shroud-ay, swept straight
out from it like flag in gale.
We were popped.
The wave passed It seemed to mo that
was under water for minutes-really 1t was
seconds. looked forward The blast had
torn out the great sail, and high in the air it
was fiuttering away to leeward like hugo
wounded bird. Then for moment there was
comparative calm, and in it heard Jobs
voice yelling wildly: "Come here to the
boat"
Bewildered'and half drowned as | was, |
had the sense to rush aft. felt the dhow
sinking under me-she was full of water.
Under her counter the whaleboat was tossing
furiously, and | saw the Arab Mahomed, who
? had been steering, leap into her. gave one
desperate pull at the tow rope to bring the
boat alongside. Wildly / sprung also, and
Job caught me with one arm and rolled into
the bottom of the boat. Down went the
dhow bodily, and as she did so Mahomet
drew his curved knife and severed the fiber
rope by which we were fast to her, and in an
other second we were driving before til,
! storm over the place where the dhow has
[, been.
"Great Godl" l shrieked, 'where is Leo
Leol Leop
"He's gone, sir; God help him" roared Jol
into my ear, and such was the fury of tn
squall that his voice sounded like whisper.
y l wrung my hands in agony. Leo wa
' drowned, and was left alive to mourn him
"Look outl' yelled Job; "here comes an
other"
l turned; a second huge wave was over
taking us. | hoped it would drown me
With curious fascination / watched 1t
awful advent. The moon was nearly hidde,
now by the wreaths of the rushing storm, bu
a little light still caught the crest O
the devouring breaker. There was some
thing dark in TIA piece of wreckage. 1t wa
on us now, and the boat was nearly full G
water. But she was built in air tight CON
partments-heaven bless the man who il
vented theml-snd lifted up through it like
swan. Through the foam and turmoil / sa,
the black thing on the wave hurrying RICH
at me. Iput out my right arm to ward
from me and my hand closed on another arm
the wrist of which my fingers gripped like
wise. l am very strong man, and ha
something to hold to, but my arm was nearl
torn from its socket by the strain an
weight of the floating body. Had the rus
lasted another two seconds must either hay
let go or gone with it. But it passed, leavin
us up to our knees in water.
"Bail out! bail outln shouted Job, suitin
the action to the word
But / could not bail just then, for as ii
moon went out and left us in total darkne
one faint, flying ray of light Lit upon the ia,
of the man had gripped, who was now ha
lying, half floating, in the bottom of the boa
1t was Leo. Leo brought back by ii
- wave-back, dead or alive, from the vel
jaws of DEATH
"Bail out! bail outl" yelled Job. cor '
shall founder
seized large tin bowl with a handle
il, which was fixed under one of the seal
and the three of us bailed away for dear Lii
The furious tempest drove over and round 1
finging the boat this way and that; the vii
and the storm wreaths and the sheets
singing spray blinded and bewildered l
but through it all we worked like demon
with the wild exhilaration of despair, (
even despair can exhilarate One minut
three minutesi six minutes The boat beg
to tighten, and no fresh wave swamped ,
Five minutes more and she was fairly Gle,
4 Then, suddenly, above the awful shriekin
of the hurricane came duller, deeper TO.
Great heavensl 1t was the voice of breake
At that moment the moon began to shi
ont again. this time behind the path of